Schapiro Spring Foursomes | English Bridge Union

28th April – 2nd May 2023, venue TBC

Welcome to the Schapiro Spring Foursomes!

The Spring Fours is one of the great events in the English calendar. The principal event the Schapiro Trophy has become one of the toughest events in domestic bridge. It is run on double-elimination lines over nine sessions each of 32 boards. A secondary event, the Punchbowl, will be open to teams eliminated before Saturday evening. It has a round-robin qualifier followed by a mini knockout. The Hamilton Cup is a more relaxed event for teams seeking a game on Monday (bank holiday in England).

Due to the generous sponsorship arrangement in place for this event, prizes are approximately twice the normal EBU value (e.g. approx £1,600 - £2,000 for the winning team based on the typical size of the original entries). We wish to express our gratitude to Mrs Helen Schapiro in supporting this most prestigious event in this way, and in donating a trophy in the name of her husband, the late, and truly great, Boris Schapiro. It is part of the Championship Series, in which points can be earned towards the Player of the Year Championship.

To enter

The easiest way to enter is online through My EBU. Log-in and select 'Book Events' from the Utilities menu. You can also call 01296 317203 or email comps@ebu.co.uk. Late entries will only be accepted if they assist the schedule.

Congress Prices

The prices for our face-to-face congresses and competitions remain about the same as they were before the pandemic started, which reflects the fact that major green-pointed events always attract a premium.

We have worked hard to keep bridge going since the start of the pandemic, but with it still affecting everything we need to continue to work hard to keep the EBU going financially. Although we took advantage of all government support that we were entitled to, made a number of staff redundant and cut costs everywhere we could, we still need to carry on taking care to avoid using our reserves at an unsustainable rate. With the furlough scheme having ended this has become even more difficult.

Competitions are one way of raising the money necessary for the EBU's survival and we will be following this pricing strategy for all our congresses and major competitions.

Holders

2022

Schapiro Trophy: Jeffrey Allerton, Tony Forrester, Frances Hinden, Chris Jagger & Graham Osborne

Punchbowl: Mike Bell, Fiona Brown, Ollie Burgess, Michael Byrne, Maggie Knottenbelt & Ben Norton

Hamilton Cup: Paul Barden, David Kendrick, Sara Moran & Claire Robinson

Timetable
Day	Times	Description
Friday 28th April	7.30pm	Session 1 - 32-board matches or initial round-robins or triangles
Saturday 29th - Monday 1st May	10.30am and 4.00pm	Sessions 2-7 - 32-board matches
Monday 1st May	10.30am	Punchbowl
	11.30am	Hamilton Cup (Swiss Teams)
Tuesday 2nd May	10.30am and 4.00pm	Schapiro Semi-Final and Final

Details of the timetable may be subject to change

Entry Fees
The EBU reserves the right to close entry at a convenient number of teams
Full Event	£540 per team
Hamilton Cup only	£116 per team

Entry fees should be made in advance to comps@ebu.co.uk. Please note above entry fees are for 2022 and may change in 2023

Entries close on Friday 21st April 2023 at noon

Master Points

All events are fully Green Pointed. Awards in the main event reflect its prestigious nature.

Agreements

Level 5 agreements are permitted in all events.

Venue and Tariff

The venue for 2023

The venue for 2023 has not yet been confirmed

Why play?

Well mainly because, in our opinion, it is the best teams event on the EBU calendar! Spanning five days, you get a lot of bridge for your money and a great experience to boot. This is what one of our members said about it: "As a life-long underperformer, I revelled in the chance of playing in this event. Seeds don't enter the Gold Cup until round 3, so I thought I would never face off against the world's best. At the Spring Foursomes, though, I had a great chance of losing to the likes of Zia Mahmood, Andrew Robson and David Burn. Maybe I'll be losing to your team this year!" -Edgar Dolittle, Tunbridge Wells